‘Kata (talk) of the Teesta river, what is it? A few months ago, Teesta broke Hama’s house. During the rainy season, there is not enough water to drink the waves of the Teesta. And Ella that Teesta has no water in her own mouth. Chairopake (surrounding) empty collapsed bala and bala (sand). You see upstream and downstream only char and char. Sometimes there is Ekna (a little) Kari water. There is no lineage of fir fish. It seems like Teesta is a dead river.’
Amjad Hossain, a farmer of Nawabganj village of Belka union of Sundarganj upazila of Gaibandha, was saying the words in the regional language, lamenting about Teesta river.
The river Teesta overflows during the monsoons and causes severe floods. Houses, crops and buildings were destroyed in violent mobs. At the beginning of that Teesta Chaitra, the desert became dry. As a result, Pramatta Teesta is suffering from dilapidation due to lack of water.
Teesta river has water in rainy season but in dry season it is knee deep and only dusty sand. Due to failure to collect its fair share of water, the river Teesta gradually became dehydrated and turned into skeleton. Teesta has now become a poison for the people of this region. The implementation of the master plan around the river has also been suspended for years.
The vast area of Teestar river can be seen, miles after miles of sand has risen across Teesta’s chest as there is no water to sustain existence. The rush of sailors and sailors, who used to run unhindered with thousands of boats in the rainy season to catch fish, has stopped. The water and fish-filled Teesta’s chest is sparkling with sand.
Due to lack of water, livelihoods and biodiversity are being destroyed in the Teesta basin. Even though the land is waking up from the Teesta river, the cultivation is hampered due to lack of irrigation. Some have brought water from far away to sustain the life of cultivated crops.
It is known that around the eighties, there was a bustling trade and commerce in various regions of the country including Kaunia, Haragach, Kamarjani, Sundarganj, Chilmari, Jamalpur, Islampur through the Pramatta Teesta river. At that time the waterway was busy. Now Teesta is in crisis of existence. Due to the decrease in navigation, trade and commerce by sea has stopped. Naval workers are living an unemployed life. The river has now turned into a dead canal due to not getting its fair share of water.
Boatman Abed Ali told Jago News, “There is no water in the Teesta, so there is no need for a boat to cross the river anymore.” People walk across.’
Balaram Chandra, a fisherman of Teestapar told Jago News, ‘There is no fish in Teesta due to lack of water. You can’t get three meals a day from the river. So I am working as an agricultural laborer to survive.’
Awal Mia, a farmer of Teestapar, told Jago News, ‘I used to plant irrigation machines in Teesta a few years ago. The water in the machine was high. Oil consumption was less. Now there is no water in the river. The cost of oil is increasing due to the installation of irrigation borings and cultivation.
Another farmer Azizul Islam said, ‘There is no water in Teesta river. Miles upon miles of sand. It is becoming very difficult to travel through this shelf. We are cultivating crops on the banks of the Teesta, but we have to get irrigation water with the help of shallow machines.’
Jamal Mustafa is a resident of Haripur Union. He told Jago News, ‘The people of Teestapar have been hearing for the past few years that the government is taking up a project called the Teesta Master Plan. Even today I did not see any real form of this project.’
Sundarganj upazila convenor Munsi Aminul Islam Saju of Teesta Bachao Nadi Bachao Sangram Parishad. He told Jago News, ‘To protect the environment and biodiversity, a fair share of water must be ensured. Otherwise the environment and biodiversity will not be protected. River Teesta will return to its former life if reservoirs are created through dredging to bring back navigability.’
SR/MS
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